Celtics, Nuggets set for titanic matchup

The NBA announced Wednesday that the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets will play two preseason games in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in October as part of an effort to expand the game internationally.

First the teams have to complete their two-game series this season while possibly teasing something bigger in June.

Denver hosts Boston on Thursday night in what could be a preview of a potential NBA Finals matchup. The Nuggets are the reigning champions while the Celtics have the best record in the league, and both teams are looking to overcome stinging losses on Tuesday night.

Boston blew a 22-point, fourth-quarter lead at Cleveland and lost 105-104. Denver rallied from 22 down to take a three-point lead on Phoenix in the final minute, only to see Kevin Durant send it to overtime where the Suns dominated in a 117-107 win.

The Celtics, who had an 11-game winning streak end, are looking to recover quickly.

"Whether everybody wants to throw it away or not, we've got to look at the film and address some stuff, because that matters," Jaylen Brown said after Tuesday's loss. "Your habits are everything. Your mentality is everything. And every game, you can't waste no possessions, you can't waste no time out there on the floor. So, today matters. We need to look at that."

Brown might also look at what happened Jan. 19 when the Nuggets handed Boston its first home loss of the season, 102-100. The Celtics couldn't contain Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, who combined to score 69 points.

Jayson Tatum missed a bucket in the final seconds that night, just as he did Tuesday against the Cavaliers.

It may be another close game on Thursday night but likely will be a more intense game for both teams coming off their defeats. Denver won its first six games out of the All-Star break, including road games at Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers, before falling on Tuesday.

"This is one of those where tomorrow we all feel better. Tomorrow we have better clarity and a lot more positive energy," said Murray, who had a team-high 28 points against Phoenix. "But today it's tough. It wasn't just one person who didn't shoot well, it was damn near everybody."

While the Celtics are comfortably in the Eastern Conference's No. 1 position with 21 games left, the Nuggets are in a battle in the West. They are a game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top spot but only 1 1/2 games ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers, who are in fourth.

Denver was the top seed in the conference last season and rode that to a title, but the players are mixed about the importance of home-court advantage in the West. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said recently "we want the No. 1 seed" while Jokic looked at the potential matchups in the first round, which could end up being two recent champions.

"Nobody wants the Lakers in the first round or Golden State in the first round," he said.

—Field Level Media